Iraq: Drought crisis destroys income and crops across the country

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[size=52]Iraq: Drought crisis destroys income and crops across the country[/size]

[size=14]Farming communities in Iraq have seen their wheat, vegetable and fruit yields decline for the second year in a row due to severe drought conditions, as families across the country will be increasingly vulnerable to falling incomes and growing challenges in accessing adequate food, according to a new survey from the Norwegian Refugee Council ( NRC ). Before the start of the United Nations Climate Change Conference ( COP 27 ) to be held in Egypt next month.[/size]
[size=45]Almost a quarter of the 1,341 families surveyed by the Norwegian Refugee Council in five governorates this year experienced more than 90 percent of this season's wheat crop failure as a direct result of water shortages.[/size]
[size=45]Another 25 percent said they had not made any net profit from their full-year wheat crop. Long droughts have also forced a quarter of farm families to rely on food aid amid a crop shortage.[/size]
[size=45]“We are seeing continued damage from the climate and water crisis in Iraq,” says James Moon, director of the Norwegian Refugee Council office in Iraq. People are seeing their fertile lands and crops disappear with each passing year. The lands that have always fed a people are drying up quickly.”[/size]
[size=45]The worsening climate and water crisis is catastrophic for regions that have long relied on agriculture as their main source of income and livelihoods. If current drought conditions continue to harm crops and harvest, agricultural communities in Iraq will be forced to leave their lands and head to urban areas in search of alternative sources of income.[/size]
[size=45]For the second year in a row, the Norwegian Refugee Council has documented the impact of the water and climate crisis in Iraq on farmers and residents affected by displacement. The new report shows that one in three households in drought-prone areas have had to reduce the amount of land they cultivate, resulting in a significant loss of crops and income. Four out of 10 people reported that they harvested less wheat, barley, fruits and vegetables this year than last year.[/size]
[size=45]The drought crisis in Iraq has exacerbated in recent years due to the record drop in rainfall and the increase in temperatures due to climate change. These conditions are exacerbated by reduced river flow from Iraq's neighboring countries, as well as a lack of investment and water management at the national level, which has deteriorated water quality and quantity.[/size]
[size=45]The Norwegian Refugee Council interviewed people who said that they or their relatives had to leave their land as a result of this situation. More than a third of respondents (38 percent) reported an increase in social tensions due to competition for resources and jobs.[/size]
[size=45]"We must realize that lives and livelihoods are affected every day by the climate and water crisis, and this requires intensified national and international efforts," Moon added.[/size]
[size=45]As many as 4 percent of those surveyed were forced to relocate as drought conditions worsened. Tayseer, 42, said he is considering leaving his land in Hawija, northern Iraq, where he expects a devastating loss of income.[/size]
[size=45]“I used to make 10,000,000 Iraqi dinars (US$6,800) each season,” Tayseer told the Norwegian Refugee Council. This year I may not even get 2,000,000 ($1,400) because I've only been able to cultivate half of my land and will only get half of the produce I was getting.[/size]
[size=45]“If the drought continues, I will have to find another job,” Tayseer added. I have to leave Earth. If I can't cultivate it, who will be able to do so? About 10 families here left their lands… Those families were unable to dig new wells or get electricity.”[/size]
[size=45]The Norwegian Refugee Council is urging the international community to increase funding to enable Iraq to adapt to climate change and to step up diplomatic efforts to ensure the flow of cross-border territorial waters into the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The Iraqi government should also increase investment in water management and infrastructure development to improve the quantity and quality of water for agricultural communities and their future livelihoods.[/size]
[size=45]• The Norwegian Refugee Council conducted a survey of 1,341 families in the governorates of Anbar, Basra, Dohuk, Kirkuk and Nineveh. The survey was conducted in August 2022 in order to assess the impact of drought and the climate crisis on the last harvest season.[/size]
[size=45]• To complement these findings, eight interviews with key informants and four case study interviews were conducted from June to September 2022 in Basra, Anbar, Kirkuk and Nineveh. • 57 percent of respondents were returnees, and more than 40 percent were part of the host community or remained in their areas of origin during the conflict.[/size]
[size=45]• Among those who have rain-fed crops, 88 percent said that rainfall was not enough this season for their crops to thrive.[/size]
[size=45]• Although access to drinking water varies from region to region, 28 percent of households in all governorates have started purchasing drinking water, 25 percent have changed their water source, and 24 percent have reduced the amount of water they use.[/size]
[size=45]For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:[/size]
[size=45]• Ahmed Bayram, media advisor to the Norwegian Refugee Council in the Middle East, in Amman through e-mail:  [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]  or mobile: 0147 9016 7 962 00[/size]
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